The Farmstead Promise

Asheville Farmstead School exists to foster experiences that unearth the connection between nature, people, and sustainable food sources.  By celebrating individual diversity, we lay the foundation for the empathy and kindness needed to create a village of life-long learners. Our students learn skills to develop and care for the Earth, their fellow humans, and their own education.

The Farmstead Vision

We envision a community where each time a child engages with nature, nature teaches the child in a way that sparks curiosity and cultivates respect.  Every time an adult connects with a child, the child teaches the adult about patience, play, and wonder. Together, these life-long learners benefit from our community and appreciate the intrinsic value of the Earth.

The Farmstead Land

Asheville Farmstead School is honored to be the steward of a 25-acre tract of land in a peaceful cove of Candler, NC. When you drive up to the farm, you will look out over the permaculture-inspired garden, chicken coop,  Fortville, and field. Behind the field sits our stone-built schoolhouse and schoolyard. The schoolhouse is only used when it is unsafe (high winds, lightning, low temperatures) to be playing outside.  The main purpose of the schoolhouse is to provide workspace for our educators and administrative team, store student gear boxes, house our library and teaching supplies, and provide an indoor bathroom. The schoolyard is home to dirt kitchen, pine play, an in-ground trampoline, a nimble nature course, a creek kitchen, a greenhouse, and a couple of peace gardens! 

Beyond the schoolyard lies the forested cove, with a creek, a spring head, as well as our Littlest Learners classroom.  Beyond the Littlest Learners classroom is a trail that leads all the way to the ridgeline as a loop trail.  Along that trail, you will find our Explorers Outpost classroom and the Diamond Brand Gear canvas shelter stocked with potable water, a forest bathroom, and a large forested wild zone for students to play and explore.

As we grow together, this place will benefit from the imagination of creative minds and the dedication of little hands.

Forest School Movement

The forest school movement, originating in Scandinavia, emphasizes outdoor play and environmental stewardship. Cedarsong Nature School in Washington was among the first in the U.S. Children spend time outside year-round, fostering resilience and appreciation for all seasons. Learning is child-led, with no set curriculum, encouraging imagination, cooperation, and problem-solving.

Nature-immersed learning benefits cognitive, social, and physical development. It enhances creativity, teamwork, self-motivation, and motor skills while promoting risk management and a stronger immune system. With increasing screen time, forest schools counter Nature-Deficit Disorder by nurturing a lifelong connection to nature, fostering resilient, independent, and environmentally conscious humans.

Six young children curiously watch a gardener watering plants at Asheville Farmstead School, an outdoor forest school focused on nature-based education, sustainability, and hands-on learning
Two kids in rain pants on mud mountain in the fall time looking happy at forest school program

Our Commitment as an Employer

At Asheville Farmstead School, we prioritize staff retention and appreciation, recognizing that experienced, long-term educators create a more enriching, safe, and engaging learning environment. Parents trust programs with dedicated teachers, and this stability strengthens our reputation and long-term success.

While we understand that some level of turnover is natural, we actively invest in our team’s well-being, professional growth, and job satisfaction and take pride in our ability to keep staff turnover low. Our staff benefits include:

  • Competitive Compensation
  • Paid Time Off:
    • 10.5 weeks of paid vacation
    • 10 personal days (PTO)
  • Ongoing Professional Development:
    • Employer-sponsored CPR, First Aid, and Wilderness First Aid certification
    • August in-service training
    • February staff retreat
    • Team book study (two books per year)
    • Annual professional development and continuing education stipend
  • Wellness & Support:
    • Virtual healthcare membership
    • Therapy Forward: flexible scheduling for therapy appointments, with work time adjustments as needed
  • Sabbatical Structure:
    • Year 3: $3,000 bonus or 2 additional paid weeks off (taken consecutively)
    • Year 5: 4 additional paid weeks off (taken consecutively)
    • Year 10: 8 additional paid weeks off (taken consecutively)

By investing in our educators, we ensure a thriving, engaged team that provides exceptional learning experiences for children.

Asheville Farmstead School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, pregnancy, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all guests, students, members of staff, clients, and volunteers.

What does the future hold for the Farmstead?

Asheville Farmstead School values lifelong learning and the continual growth and evolution of our programs. Our first ten years have been filled with opportunities to refine our offerings, and as we settle into what we do best, we are excited to expand in new ways. Our goal is to continue growing the Farmstead while becoming a leading voice in training educators who are passionate about outdoor learning.

Since 2019, the Farmstead has hosted three ‘Teaching the Cedarsong Way’ trainings on our campus. Additionally, our Director has traveled to Piedmont Forest School (NC) and The Children's Garden School (WA) to provide on-site Cedarsong training for their staff. She has also designed and delivered two custom professional development trainings for Little Mountain Forest School in Huntsville, Alabama.

Through this work, we have developed a deeper appreciation for the inherently therapeutic benefits of time spent in nature. We see an opportunity to expand our staff’s expertise to offer nature-based therapy on our campus. Our Director is currently pursuing her Cedarsong Way Forest Therapist certification, which we believe will open new doors for both our school and the community we serve.

Cedarsong Way Accredited School

Asheville Farmstead School is proud to be one of seven internationally accredited Cedarsong® Way Schools.

The Cedarsong Way is an award-winning leader in the U.S. Forest Kindergarten movement and has received international accolades for its groundbreaking work.​Schools that are accredited in The Cedarsong Way have proven to be operating at the same high level of excellence as the original Cedarsong Nature School.

The Cedarsong Way accreditation is your assurance of the best quality outdoor education program.  Learn more about The Cedarsong Way and our philosophies.

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